


Forget to Remember, Forgot to Remind

by 13_InfinitelyCurious_13



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: (Don't worry Wendy and Dipper aren't getting together), (Rating may change), Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Gravity Falls, F/F, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-06
Updated: 2016-05-31
Packaged: 2018-05-03 00:57:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 18,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5270588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/13_InfinitelyCurious_13/pseuds/13_InfinitelyCurious_13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gravity Falls was a strange little town, full of mystery and different unnatural entities, though it appeared to be completely normal to everyone but a select few of the residents of the town. Two of these residents were named Dipper and Mabel Pines. College was just around the corner, heading straight in their direction and ready to make itself their priority. Though this was probably something the two of them should be worried about, it wasn't quite at the forefront of their minds. What was, however, was the impending summer that would soon take up their time.  Now was summer. And with summer came their home. The same place they came to every summer with its little quirks and happiness.</p><p>Yes, of course, with summer came the small town of Gravity Falls. The same old Gravity Falls they were used to, the very one that awaited them every June. With their Grunkle Stan running the same old Mystery Shack and their Great Uncle Ford running experiments and exploring all around. The same town they've grown up around.  The same people they've learned to love. The same enemies they've bested. The same forest. The very same one that they took all of their fond memories from...</p><p>It was the same... right?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Take in the Scenery

* * *

...

* * *

 

_Gravity Falls, Oregon._ A sleepy little town just secluded enough to stay out of the way of the rest of the world, just somewhere to pass through to get to where you're going. It was almost a backdrop in the countryside of Oregon, not important enough to be the center of attention. Though, truth be told, you might get a little sidetracked with just how bizarre the townspeople are and how they act. From Old Man McGucket to Manly Dan to Lazy Susan all the way down to the children. The residents of this town were no doubt strange, odd in ways that would be given a second look if a serious psychologist were to look at it, but no such thing ever occurred, Gravity Falls being left alone, by itself with few odd events-- For the most part, anyway.

      No one ever accounted for the lesser known residents of the town and the surrounding wilderness to disturb the peaceful, serene atmosphere of the town. The beings that so delicately could break the balance, tear to shreds the peace that the town held dear if they should have the urge. Yes, the residents were strange, that was not a hard thing to admit. The people of this town could even be considered some of the strangest people alive, but the town, lazy and peaceful, was strange all on its own, no help needed from the humans that stayed, the few that drifted in and out, and those that were simply passing through. No, but it was the beings of the forest that made it off, peculiar in ways you wouldn't believe. The little gnomes searching for a queen, the gremloblins, the vampire bats... All of these beautiful and, more often than not, horrible creatures that somehow coexist in a mock peace with the humans, as they have for years upon years.

      Interesting inhabitants or not, the forest of Gravity Falls was a magnificent sight to see. With lush, green plants marking their way around the sturdy, tall trees that decorated the countryside, it was hard to imagine that the place wasn't popular with the people that saw it.  The brilliant colors of the flowers were another story all together, something breathtaking.  It's natural beauty set such great amounts of awe in those who basked in its glory, stared upon it with wide eyes.  With strange occurrences so deep set in the forest, almost normal with how often they seemed to appear.  Yes, it was quite the surprise that there weren't many that ventured into the unknown.

      That is; if you were to look at it from the inside.  From the outside?  Not so much.  The forest appeared as any normal forest would from the outside looking in.  Trees, trees, and more trees.  Maybe even some moss.  To the surrounding residents, the forest almost screamed normal, everyday forest, with slight... ominous vibes rolling off of it.  Not exactly bone-chilling, but somewhere close.  The stories that drifted among civilians and passerby's alike were enough to keep a lot of outsiders from daring to attempt a trek through the woods without a set destination in mind.  It was hard to even do that. There were few places that anyone knew of in the forest to even walk to other than maybe, "The tree a few feet from Lazy Suzan's shed." or, "That one weird shaped boulder rock that Robbie likes to sit on to think." or the most simply put camping grounds.  Really, there were only about eight or nine people that knew at least a clearing of the forest.  The sad thing was, about five of those people were the Corduroys, a family of lumberjacks that often went into the woods, but no farther than needed.

      The other people, you may ask?  A much different family from the Corduroys, that was for sure, but a family nonetheless.  This family ran a small shack buried a little further into the woods, known as the Mystery Shack.  A place of illusion, false tricks and fraud, but also of warmth and entertainment, even if you were being robbed of your money.  Often you could see tourists shifting around the Mystery Shack, whether it be for a tour with the Man of Mystery or to prowl around the different knickknacks and not-so-cheap items that were in the store portion of this tourist trap. The Man of Mystery himself was Stanley Pines, an old miser who, despite his age, could pack a good punch and often liked messing with his great niece and nephew along with arguing with his brother.  Said niece and nephew were the self proclaimed, "Mystery Twins," also known as Dipper and Mabel Pines.  They often lived up to their name, solving many of the mysteries that popped up around town.  Dipper and Mabel been doing so since they first got here and, continuing even at the age of nineteen, they came to Gravity Falls every summer since they were twelve, living with their Grunkle Stan and Great Uncle Ford in the Mystery Shack.  Their Great Uncle Ford, who shared Dipper and Mabel's interest in the supernatural, was actually named Stanford Pines and he more than likely could be found investigating, doing experiments down below passed the door behind the snack machine, or not seeing eye-to-eye with his twin brother.  Though he wasn't always around, the twins cared for the man.  It was a heart-wrenching goodbye for everyone when the twins would leave every summer and an excited hello with every new beginning.  But those times were coming to an end.

      After seven long years of far too short summers, the duo was finally doing something they had been looking forward to since the beginning, since the very first summer they had arrived at the amazingness that was Gravity Falls.  Since the one moment that they approached their destiny and lived in the realm of the devil, so to speak.  (With how one of the many monsters that they had to face was, many would consider him very close to the devil.)  Since the moment they stepped off their first bus ride to this mystical land and were shown just what they would be dealing with for the next few months of their summer.  Yes, the twins were making a big step into the world, broadening their horizons and opening their eyes just a little bit wider to the world around them.  What exactly are the twins doing, you may ask?  Well, the Mystery Twins are going to college, of course.  The two have finally reached the point in their lives where they want to leave home and go to another step in their learning experience.  Yes, this could very well be considered broadening their horizons in the grand scheme of things.

      With college came moving.  And with moving came goodbyes and sadness and promises of visiting.  But along with the sadness came the excitement of getting out into the world, living life on their own and seeing where it took them.  That is, that would be the case if the two were going to a college now.  College would come later.  Books, work, professors, essays, and late night cramming would come in close to two and a half months.  Now?  No, now was the time for fun, for heat, for mysteries.  Now was summer.  And with summer came swimming and shenanigans.  With summer came Gravity Falls and the excitement that came with it.  With summer came friends and the Mystery Shack and their crazy old great uncles.  With summer came the closest thing to a home they could ever want.  Their home. 

      The same, old Gravity Falls they were used to, the very one that awaited them every June.  With their Grunkle Stan running the same old Mystery Shack and their Grunkle Ford running experiments and exploring all around.  The same town they've grown up around.  The same people they've learned to love.  The same enemies they've bested.  The same forest and all the different mysteries to try and solve.  The same thing they remembered fondly every time they looked back on their summers...

It was the same... right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone~ :D Thank you for taking the time to read this. It's an honor and a privilege on my end to have you here, broseidon. Haha.
> 
> Now, I've gotta say I'm on some pretty shakey ground with this story. I'm not really sure if it would be worth continuing. I'm gonna post a few chapters and if people start to like it, I'll see where I take it from there. This first chapter is just a little introduction into the story to tell you where I'm starting at. :D You don't necessarily have to read it, but you can if you want~
> 
> Also! I might wanna incorporate some Bill/Dipper into this as well. (Maybe even Mabel/Pacifica.) If you'd lIke that to be a thing, please tell me. I want to but at the same time it isn't really a needed feature. But at the same time I think it'd be cool to add. I probably will add these things in at some point, but I wanna know how many people would like that. 
> 
> Other than that stuff, I think that's about all I can say for now! Thank you for reading and I'll see you next time, 'kay?
> 
> Font at the very top: [this](http://www.1001fonts.com/beyond-wonderland-font.html)


	2. Forget to Remember

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Road trips weren't always all that fun. Occasionally they could be, but with the help of his sister Mabel, Dipper Pines soon discovers that he really, really hates sitting in a cramped car that long. Especially when Mabel decides to blast pop songs as loud as they can go. 
> 
> With little sleep and enough confusion to make him go nearly insane, Dipper finds himself in a strange position, caught somewhere between anxiety and dread with a little mix of completely weird forgetfulness that he would never easily understand. On the road back toward Gravity Falls, the Mystery Twins are back, but not quite the same as they once were. 
> 
> (Alternately titled, "Dipper has multiple freak out moments and plot happens.")

* * *

forgot to forget to remind to remember  
  
what little this mind can hold with the tremors  
  
remember to remind to forget to forgot  
  
they all seem too small so let them rot

remind to forgot to remember to forget  
  
the pieces fall with little regret  
  
forget to remember to forgot to remind  
  
and just like that you try desperately to find

* * *

Dipper Pines was officially done with driving.  Forever.  He never wanted to drive this far for this long ever again for the rest of his life.  If prompted to do so, the other person would receive a firm no before he turned around and booked it the fuck out of there, because no. Just... No. Piedmont, California all the way up to Gravity Falls, Oregon was far too long to drive without a break.  Though with the assistance of his sister, the drive itself was fun enough, but he needed to stretch his legs, drink or eat something that wasn't from a random gas station, maybe even get away from the god awful music that Mabel so happily wanted to play the entire ride up there.

Originally, Dipper hated that boy band, bubble gum pop with a passion.  Now?  Nope.  He still hated it.  However, desperate times call for desperate measures.  And now, he was close to desperate in his attempts to find something fun to do.  Yes, Dipper hated those songs.  But that didn't keep the brunet from yelling it at the top of his lungs with the help of Mabel to make it as loud and make that tone deaf, dying cat sound all the more real.  If the people they passed on the lone, creepy road weren't wondering if they were being murdered, Dipper Pines would be very surprised.

"One day, when I went home at lunch time, I heard a funny noise!"  Mabel shouted in such an absurd key that it should be illegal in twenty-five states, but Dipper was so bored right now that he couldn't find any room to care.  (Plus Mabel was laughing so much that it would be impossible to understand what she was saying if Dipper hadn't been listening to the song she was singing on repeat for the last three hours.)  Mabel grinned widely, pearly white teeth revealed in a smile that Dipper almost mirrored back had it not been for the slightly smaller show of teeth he gave off.  "Went out to the back yard to find out if it was one of those rowdy boys!"  She continued after barely a second's pause, moving around in what could be considered either a dance or a flail.  Dipper himself was too busy laughing his head off and trying to watch the road to really make a comment on his sister's terrible dancing.  Both hands on the wheel as he knew was safe, Dipper would occasionally glance between the cement that laid before them and at his sister to only laugh harder.  "Stood there with my neighbor, called Peter, and a Flux Capacitor!"

The brunette pointed at her brother with a wide, excited look in her eyes, practically ordering him to continue the song with the simple gesture.  Though he hesitated for barely a split second, Dipper felt a boost of courage upon remembering no one was around but his twin who had seen him do much more embarrassing things than sing along to a song in a high pitched, terrible voice.  With a short second to lick his chapped lips, his lips parted, teeth barely revealed in an open mouthed, nearly shy smile, he soon joined Mabel's shouts, letting his own mingle with his sister's to create a horrendous masterpiece.  "He told me he built a time machine like one in a film I've seen!"  He shouted along, pretty much memorizing this entire song after hearing it close to a thousand times this entire car ride.  "Yeah, he said..."  Dipper began, trailing off and meeting Mabel's brown eyed gaze through the corner of his eye.

"I've been to the year 3000.  Not much has changed but they lived underwater!"  The two proclaimed loudly at the top of their lungs, not even really singing anymore.  More just trying to see how high pitched and loud they could make their voices.  Dipper was more than sure they have wrecked their vocal cords by now, but he made no move to stop. When boredom is at your doorstep, you answer the call to fun, no matter the risk of danger.  So, as any rational couple of teens would do, they simply continued.  "And your great, great, great granddaughter is doing fine!"  Mabel punctuated each "great" with a fresh, new jab to Dipper's side.  The brunet curled away from the poke, the fact that he was ticklish and that each one sent a swift pain through his side adding to his eagerness to get away from the pokes.

"Doing fine!"  Mabel said without Dipper's help as the male had to take a second to turn down the next road on the right, making sure he didn't miss it like last time.  He stopped singing after that, more focused on the winding road he was taking than the urge to sing girl centered Jonas Brothers' songs.  Mabel was understanding enough, but continued to sing as if he never stopped, voice loud and with as much raw emotion as you would expect from the girl.

About halfway through the song, Dipper finally got sick of it and turned the Jonas Brothers down low, growing distant as the volume was lowered.  "Alright, let's stop that right now."  He said simply, voice a little hoarse from the earlier screaming and his lips pulled into a line.  Not that he was really all that upset or angry, but it just seemed to be his natural expression by now.  Mabel was quick to pout and attempt to turn it back on, fingers searching for the buttons and dials as Dipper himself held her back with his one untattooed arm.  Though he hasn't been much one for muscle most of his life, by the time high school came, he started bulking up, lifting weights and doing stuff to exercise instead of his usual regiment of eat, bathe, read, repeat.  He wasn't huge muscly, more lean than anything.  But that would definitely help him out with all that they would have to go through this summer.  All the running and jumping and dodging really wore down energy.  Hopefully now he wouldn't get as tired that easily.

"Dipper, come on..."  Mabel whined in annoyance, grinning through it as she continued to try and press the buttons.  "We're on a road trip!  Road trips mean music, bro-bro!"  She said happily, flailing as she tried to poke and prod at the buttons.  This proved to be futile as Dipper somehow was able to keep her hands off of the dials.  Dipper rolled his eyes and shook his head, deciding that Mabel was more than likely going to be stubborn about this.  He just had to distract her from her objective and all would be well.

"So, I wonder what new things will pop up this summer."  Dipper commented idly as he took yet another turn, being careful to slow down.  He, unlike Mabel, preferred to respect the rules of the road.  (This was also the reason why he had driven for so long.  Mabel wasn't exactly the _best_ driver in the world.)  "Last summer was probably the busiest we've had.  Do you think it'll get worse?"  He continued, not giving Mabel room to protest the topic change as he thought back on all the things they have seen and done over the years.  Last summer was indeed their most adventurous.  So many more creatures seem to be popping up ever since their first summer in Gravity Falls.  While originally they had to go out and search for the different beings they were studying, now they just seemed to...  come to them.  Fairies would end up drifting into their room, flying eyes would hang from their ceiling, cherubs would wander into the Mystery Shack.  (Some much like the very first cherub they met, others not at all.)  That was the less volatile side of the creature spectrum.  Sadly, with the good side came the bad side.  More deadly cryptids came along as well.  More often than not, Dipper would find himself and Mabel being attacked by a monster neither of them expected in the oddest of places.  Gremloblins while at the laser tag place.  Gnomes at the public pool.  The list went on.

Mabel hesitated, looking as if she wasn't expecting the sudden topic change, but she opened her mouth to answer regardless.  "I hope we finally see a centaur!  And not just the centaurtaur that me and Grunkle Stan summoned that one time in your nerd game."  She said excitedly, eyes practically sparkling as she stared off into space.  Probably imagining meeting a centaur, Dipper noted with an amused sound coming from his throat.  He finally removed his arm from in front of Mabel, listening to her ramble about past events.  She was quick to recount the event with the gnomes, the memory sending a shudder of disgust down Mabel's spine and a small frown on Dipper's face.  That was not a pleasant memory in either of their cases.  After a long moment, Mabel took off again into another story, as if Dipper hadn't been there as well.

Dipper took a second to notice the road sign just off the side of the road, reading they were now entering the Gravity Falls area.  Thank god.  That was a long drive.  "Then there was that one time when I got to run the shack for a day!  Haha, I started acting like a grouchy old man.  Pff."  She laughed good-naturedly, eyes brightening up and she turned to face Dipper with a wide smile spreading over her features.  "Then there was that monster you caught that we ended up having to try and run away from.  Gr-..."  She paused, almost as if the word had been right on the tip of her tongue but slipped from her mind a moment later.  "Grah...  No...  Gruh...  Grrrr..."  She mumbled, obviously trying to remember the monster.  "Ugh, Dippity-Dip-Dip, you remember, right?  What's that one thing with the...  The..."  She hesitated, a look of doubt spreading over her features.

Dipper lifted an eyebrow as he zoned back in, blinking his wide brown eyes and he almost instantly opened his mouth, a small smile forming on his lips at Mabel's lack of memory.  "How can you not remember that one?  We've seen them like, a thousand times."  He scoffed lightly, obviously cocky in trusting his own memory over that of his sister, who in turn stuck her tongue out at him and blew raspberry.  "It's the Grem-..."  He paused, the word right on the tip of his tongue but just seemed to slip right out of his thoughts.  He could almost vivdly picture the creature in his mind, remembering all its traits and what it could do, but the name just evaded him.  Dipper's eyes widened and he drummed his fingers against the steering wheel as if that would jog his memory.  He knew he hadn't really read up on the Journals in a while but...  Just a slip of the mind.  That was all.  "Huh...  I guess I forgot too."  He said with a small shrug of his shoulders, a weird amount of worry forming in his stomach.  Dipper would have to take a while to read back up on the Journals when they got the Mystery Shack if he was forgetting the name of the creature he's seen and bested multiple times.  Had he grown rusty...?  His features paled and panic shot through him for a moment before he forced it to subside, remembering to breathe and making sure his heart slowed back to normal pace.  No, no.  He was fine.  He just needed to read a little more and he'd be back to how he was.  "It's definitely Grem- something though."  He said after a moment of calming down, a frown growing as his eyebrows furrowed.  Damn.  This was going to bug him.

Mabel was quick to pounce on Dipper's forgetfulness, a wide, mischievous grin forming and her eyes narrowing.  "Ha!  You can't say anything about me if you can't remember it!"  She said with conviction, tone accusatory almost like he committed a crime.  In her eyes, he probably did.  Dipper scoffed lightly and nudged the other, face flushing in a light red from embarrassment.  "So, I win.  Mabel-1, Dipper-0!"  The brunette shouted excitedly, ignoring the nudge as if it never existed.

"Hey! I remembered more than you did!"  Dipper shot back quickly, taking up a defensive stature as he was more than a little embarrassed.  He prided himself on knowing the Journals front-to-back.  How could he, of all people, forget one of the first monsters?  He sighed softly, the panic returning.  Was he losing interest in cryptozoology?  His hands clenched around the steering wheel more, teeth chewing at his lower lip as he recounted as much of the Journals as he could.  Had he forgotten anything else?  He would have to check the Journals to be sure, but...  Dipper quickly took to taking the prideful approach, trying to collect the pieces of his cracked ego.  "Describe any other cryptid or creature and I can name it off."  He shot back, narrowing his gaze in challenge.

Mabel mirrored his expression, her own eyes narrowing as she crossed her arms over his chest, thinking back.  She took longer than Dipper thought she would, confusion flashing in her brown gaze before it hit her and she gave a confident grin that could only be describled with one word:  sure.  "A flying dolphin with two heads and four arms that have mouths on their hands that can shoot double rainbows out of their mouths."  She said, pointing to her own mouth and making a puking face as if that would help Dipper at all in figuring out what exactly she was trying to describe.

Dipper pulled a confused face, blinking slowly and wracking his brain as he attempted to think of what Mabel could possibly be describing.  He sighed, almost annoyed and aggravated in nature.  He most assuredly was.   That creature was definitely not real.  There was nothing resembling that creature that he had ever read about.  "Okay, no.  Mabel, you obviously made that up."  He spoke out, not humoring her more before giving her an accusatory glance and returning his eyes back to the road.  It was only a few more minutes worth of driving before they were in town and then maybe ten more to get to the Mystery Shack.

Mabel laughed excitedly and shrugged, seeing no problem with the obvious cheat she had just used.  "You said _any_ creature, bro-bro.  That was a creature."  She said slyly and hummed low, not letting go of that fact that she had obviously won.  (Which she didn't! That was a fake creature and no matter what anyone else said, that did not count.)  "Aoshima.  I saw it when we were at that old store and I ate all that Smile Dip."  She said happily, in a voice that basically said that she won that round.  Dipper huffed, frowning as he turned his glare on the other for a moment.

"Hey, that's not fair!  You could've used something like a siren or a vampire bat or a merman.  How am I supposed to know what weird hallucinogenic monsters you come up with?"  Dipper argued, teeth clenching and his lip poking out in a slight pout, one facial expression he hadn't meant to come out, but there it was, showing off just how mature he wasn't sometimes.  He may be the more level headed and serious twin, but he still had his childish bouts, such as now.  He was not backing down from this one.  Mabel knew what he meant when he said any creature!  She was just cheating and there was no way anyone could keep him from arguing his case.  With just as much stubborn as he had, he was positive that Mabel wouldn't back out of it even if the fight went on for the rest of the night.  It was like that one time with the-...   Dipper once again was brought into a pause, lips quirking down into a frown.  That one time with the...

Delving deep into his thoughts, Dipper decided thinking back was a much better idea than arguing with his twin in that moment.  Mabel seemed to realize he was simply blocking out whatever she was saying halfway through the sentence and quieted down, giving him a curious look.  Dipper's eyebrows furrowed and he once again was chewing on his lower lip, worrying it with his teeth.  His brain was not working with him right now.  It wouldn't get to the part where he would remember what he was trying to remember.  He felt lost, disappointed in himself for even being able to forget anything.  He usually remembered quite a bit.  Why was it now that his mind decided it was a good time to go senile?

The time when...  Which time?  Wait, what time was he thinking about...?  A lost look broke into Dipper's eyes, confusion and self doubt clouding his features.  What was he thinking about again?  He stared off into space, worry clenching his stomach in tight, cold fists, twisting it into a knot and refusing to relieve it.  He reminisced on his lack of sleep for the past few nights, silently wondering just what had caused his unnatural amount of forgetfulness.  The Mystery Twins had been cooped up in the car for most if not all of the day.  Was that it?  Staring out into the endless expanse of trees and eying the concrete of the road that went on and on before him just seemed to blur together the events of the day, blur together his thoughts, making them a slow moving mush of pop songs and Mabel rambling.  His hands twitched around the steering wheel, relaxing before tensing around it once again, much tighter.  It was almost like he was trying desperately to cling to his memories, hold them close to his chest and never let them out of arms' reach.

"Hey, bro, you doin' alright?"  Mabel spoke up after what seemed like an eternity, piercing into Dipper's worry clouded and obviously distressed thoughts.  When Dipper finally shook his head to rearrange his thoughts, he forced a smile on his face, trying to be reassuring.  Guilt added to the other cold, rigid emotions in his stomach, sinking like a stone in air the second he spotted the worried look in his sister's usually cheerful gaze.  Oh geez.  He worried Mabel.  He tried to smile wider, but it looked and felt much more forced than would ever be possible to make Mabel believe him in the slightest.  It didn't quite reach his eyes and looked more like he was showing off his teeth instead of actually smiling.

"I'm cool.  Just a little tired is all."  Dipper said as smoothly as possible, a slight shakiness added to his voice despite his attempts at feigning calm.  He cursed his voice in his mind, hoping not to show off the anxiety that never seemed to cease within his gut.  He felt lost, confused, and all together just...  worried?  All for no reason.  Was he sick?  What was he even confused about anyway...? Nothing he could remember.  He brushed it off, though it hung in the back of his mind.  A downward spiral of doubt and anger, annoyance became his mind right then.  Why wasn't his mind working with him?!  He grimaced, once again zoning out as his thoughts raced, glaring hard at the darkened area that lay before him through the wind shield.  He was probably just tired, but everything just bugged him.  He just wanted to get to the Mystery Shack, relax, and read a little bit out of the Journals.

Thinking back, Dipper put the Journals in that one bag.  One of those bags he brought with him...  Wait, or did he just leave them at the Mystery Shack?  Or maybe he put them in that box...  But that would mean they were with Mabel's sweaters...  He wouldn't put them there...  Shit.  Dipper's eyes shot wide and he tensed, a look of dread spreading over his features.  Mabel instantly noticed the change, her own brown eyes growing wide and her head tilted. "Shit!" Dipper groaned, not doing anything to disrupt his driving, but feeling the anxiety and panic swell within him once more, two feelings he wished would just go away. The dread never left either, devastation yet another emotion he felt. Guilt was yet another one. Great Uncle Ford trusted him with those Journals!

"Dipper?  What's wrong?"  Mabel questioned, eyes wide and lips parted in a look of confusion and worry.  Usually she would attempt to make a joke, but the pure despair she heard in Dipper's voice must have made her tense.  Dipper could really use one of her random jokes right now.  It might help to calm him down.  Calm the nerves and annoyance, paranoia and rage, anxiety and dread quelling in his stomach.  That wasn't the case however and all he received was a hand resting on his shoulder.  Even the slight gesture seemed to ground him a little bit and he felt his tensed shoulders instantly relax.  Mabel probably remembered right?  This entire thing was just his insomnia playing tricks on him!  Yep, that was definitely it.

"I don't know where I put them!"  The Pines shot out quickly, the cluster fuck of emotions showing just how bad he felt and how much he was disappointed in himself.  He wanted to stop and tear into the trunk, throw everything around and rip into it to see if he could find just what he was seeking.  But in doing that, he knew it wouldn't do anything to help.  That would only serve to ruin all their neatly packed luggage and all the hard work they had put into getting everything together.  They would have to pick it all up and then shove it back into the suitcases, which was altogether a waste of time seeing as they were this close to the Mystery Shack.  He would just have to search when they got to the Mystery Shack.  That was what the rational side of his mind was saying anyway.  The less rational side was having a panic attack, his hand shaking from it as he reached it to grip his stomach.  He felt like he was going to be sick. How could he do that?  Lose the Journals.  They were so important, filled with so much hard work, and he didn't know where they were.

His twin seemed even more confused by the statement, eyebrows furrowing to match the look Dipper more often than not had across his own face.  Mabel wasn't usually the one with such a concerned, deep in thought expression on her face.  Dipper much prefered the happy-go-lucky, caution to the wind look she always had.  She opened her mouth, but closed it as she debated to herself if she should even attempt to ask.  She was more than likely questioning his sanity at this point.  Dipper sure as hell was.  His mind felt like it was unraveling and being pulled back together.  "Put what?"  She questioned slowly and all at once with that single question, Dipper's head erupted in a crushing, pounding agony.  He clenched his eyes tightly shut, holding back the pained noise that threatened to be torn from his lips.  He did let out a grunt as he was hit with it, like running into a wall, thinking you could go through it.

A single hand reached up to hold the side of Dipper's head, his white and blue hat tilting and growing uneven atop his head as his fingers clenched in his messy brown hair.  Breath hitching and slowing within a single moment, the younger half of the Mystery Twins wished it would just go away.  He should check Mabel, make sure she's alright.  That's all that mattered.  That's all he could think about to keep him from curling in on himself.  Before he could attempt to do so, Dipper was glad to say the pain disappeared after an eternity, but was actually just a few simple seconds.  He blinked slowly, shaking his head. His vision blurred before it grew back to normal once more, clarifying his sight.  "Ow..."  He sighed, rubbing his temple as the headache finally subsided completely, the achey pain was gone as quick as it came.  He felt at ease for an instant before his confusion once again peaked.  He stared at the street before him, brow knitting together.

Huh...

A silence filled the car, the only noise coming from the movement of the wheels over the rocks of the ground and the quiet sounds of "SOS" by the Jonas Brothers echoing in the atmosphere.  The darkness that enshrouded the car seemed altogether much lighter, not as restricting or blanket-like as it had felt before.  Dipper could breathe once again, at peace and mildly confused before realization soon hit him.  Oh.  He was still driving toward the Mystery Shack, huh?  Their Grunkles were probably asleep by now.  They might want to be quiet when they got to the shack.  A sleep deprived Grunkle Stan was not a pleasant Grunkle Stan, after all.  He glanced over at Mabel, who looked like she had a glazed over look in her eyes that seemed to slowly fade off.  His own eyes did the same, his dazed expression morphing into that of a small smile, eyebrow lifted.

"You okay there, Mabes?"  The brunet questioned curiously, reaching over to lightly knock against the girl's head.  He grinned lightly, eyes sparking with slight amusement.  "You're zoning out again.  Tired?"  He assumed, being pretty tired himself.  It had been a pretty long day.  It wouldn't be much of a surprise if Mabel was tired too.  He could use a little rest when he got to the Mystery Shack.  But, then again, knowing Grunkle Stan, he'd be quick to put them to work in the morning.  After all the happy, excited greetings and hug pile that Mabel was more than likely going to instigate.  Mabel blinked and shook her head, turning to look at Dipper with a confused look that quickly changed to one of a wide grin.

"Yeah, I'm fine, though.  Guess I just kinda dozed off or something.  Geez, Dippin-Dot.  You need to be less boring."  Mabel teased, resting her head against the car window next to her and yawning quietly.  Dipper then realized how tired she probably actually was.  Oh wow.  He took a quick glance at the time, realizing it to be around nine at night.  They were close enough to the Mystery Shack.  He would just have to wake her up when they got there.  "Night, bro-bro."  Mabel murmured under her breath, barely being heard by Dipper and he shared the goodnight, mumbling it back to her though he focused more on the road before him than he did on what was going on in the car.  Once her breath evened out and it was clear Mabel drifted off to sleep, Dipper turned the radio to one of his favorite stations and left it there.  Anything to get away from the pop stars that he really didn't like.  Nothing against them, but the Jonas Brothers just weren't for him.

Dipper sang softly to himself to the radio, tapping his fingers against the steering wheel and letting his eyes glide over the trees as they passed.  With no one else around them on the road, he really just had to make sure he kept to the speed limit and stayed on the right side of the road.  It wasn't a very safe thing to do, but he let his eyes wander a little bit, the tired brown drifting lazily over the expansive forest.  It was a relatively normal looking forest to him.  Pretty in a way, but not all that special.  It had been since he first came to Gravity Falls, after all.  Kinda creepy, but he was almost used to it by now.  Really the only thing he remembered of the forest was the clearing the Mystery Shack was built at and the little pieces of camping grounds that were scattered here and there.  He didn't often go camping there, but Grunkle Stan was quick to send him and Mabel to the area to convince any and all tourists to come to the shack they called home.

Brown eyes soon turned forward again, half lidded as he struggled to keep them open, but persevered no matter the case.  The town of Gravity Falls peaked out just a little ways away from their car, street lights a nice change to the darkness that surrounded them save for the glare of their headlights.  He sighed softly in relief and glanced back at the forest for a singular moment before back to the town once again.  That was when he paused, vision blurring and his head growing foggy instantly.  It was soon gone, but the little dots of different colored lights he had seen in his memory quickly changed to that of blinking, white lights.  Definitely fireflies.  He rubbed his eyes, clearing the cloudiness and the sleep that he obviously needed, as portrayed by the dark circles underneath the brown.  He couldn't have just seen a swarm of fairies dancing about among the trees.  Those were just fireflies, safe little bugs nestled deep into his memories, replacing the idea of fairies as quickly as it formed.  It wasn't like fairies existed anyway, right?

Nice. It wasn't a surprise, but it was cool to find that the fireflies were out.  Some tight sensation pulled at Dipper's chest, but it soon faded, leaving only a shadow of what he had felt a second earlier.  With a resolute feeling settling in his gut, Dipper took the initiative and finally reached the town they had been heading toward this entire day, body visibly relaxing with a soft exhale.  Almost there.  A blinking red light was what caught his eye next and he paused, realizing he would need to get some gas.  He groaned to himself and pulled up to the one gas station in the entire town...  Hm...  They would probably need to get a new one sometime.  The gas prices were way more than a gallon was worth, but Dipper wasn't one to protest the twenty dollars he was about to spend.  He was much too tired to do that.  He stopped in front of a good gas pump, being careful to not wake the sleeping girl beside him as he climbed out and flipped the cap open on his car.

Dipper whistled to himself while he moved, going through the motions of the action of pumping gas.  It was a simple process, but altogether repetitive and slow before he finally set the cap back, closing the little compartment that housed it.  He continued to whistle softly, taking a second to lock the doors of the car.  It was late and sketchy characters came out during the dark hours.  No way in hell was he going to leave Mabel like that without the doors being locked.  He did hurry, even with the doors locked. He was a paranoid man, after all, quick to get back to his sister to make sure she was alright.  Well, not now.  Now, he was grabbing a Red Bull and paying the heartbreakingly high gas charge at the desk.  He didn't quite realize who he was talking to at the register, only faintly remembering a pleasant conversation and pleasantries as he strolled back out.  He was soon back at the car, downing the energy drink and hoping to all that was holy that he wouldn't fall asleep on the way to their new home for the next few months.

Sliding into the driver's seat, Dipper tossed the empty can into the closest trashcan.  It was a few feet away from him, but he did end up making it in.  He gave a proud grin, but didn't say anything while he buckled up and started the car.  He went through the motions once again, hesitating as he adjusted his mirrors.  He paused, blinking in confusion when spotting himself.  His hat was almost falling off of his head by this point.  "What...?"  He murmured as he adjusted it back to its natural place, wondering how it got messed up in the first place.  Once again, he found himself much too tired to even care for more than just a minute before he was back to the objective at hand, pulling out of the parking lot and heading toward the Mystery Shack.

The rest of the drive was much like this, calm and serene, but almost unsettling in the dark night.  It melded together with the utterly mundane appearance of it.  Of course it was mundane.  Gravity Falls _was_ a quiet little small town in Oregon, after all.  It wasn't like it was haunted or anything.  A ghost town it was not.  Dipper chuckled at his thoughts.  It wasn't like any of that was real anyway.  Just a few urban legends that people came up with to scare their friends and look cool.  Keeping that in mind, Dipper found himself at the center of all the urban legends and tales to scare others, also known as the Mystery Shack.  The Red Bull seemed to keep his energy up enough, but he certainly wasn't awake enough to really even remember that they had bags in the back, too focused on lightly nudging Mabel awake.

The girl seemed to refuse to be awoken for a long moment, groaning and shifting, swatting at Dipper half-heartedly.  Dipper rolled his tired eyes and tugged lightly at her braid, gently, but hard enough to rouse the woman from her slumber.  She blinked her tired eyes open and turned to look at Dipper with her head tilted slightly.  Dipper himself gave a tired little smile, feeling ridiculous for being this tired.  He felt drained, not only physically, but mentally.  He wasn't completely sure why, but now wasn't the time for questioning.  Now was the time for sleeping and pondering the night when he woke up in the morning.  Mabel gave a small smile in return and they climbed out, stretching their tired limbs.

"Man, my legs are asleep."  Mabel complained, whining softly as she attempted to walk it off, limping toward the door while Dipper trailed after her in a much better condition.  He had the chance to stretch his weary limbs at the gas station, so even if now was a welcomed change to the long car ride, he was still more used to being out of a vehicle that his twin was.  He hummed in response, not wanting to speak.  They attempted to be quiet whilst sneaking into the building, not wanting to wake either of their Grunkles.  Great Uncle Ford was more at risk seeing as they had to pass him to get to the attic, but that was easy to do as they tiptoed.  Dipper felt like he should take in the familiar area around him, appreciate it a little more, but every part of his body was sore and tired from being in a car all day mixed with his nonexistent sleep, so he decided to procrastinate.  Put off until tomorrow what can be done today.

After years of sleeping in the same room, their parents had finally forced the duo to get different rooms and Mabel would be getting the old room they found their first summer when they had the energy to think about it, but now, they didn't bother.  Both of them simply trudged up to the attic and fell on their beds with soft, barely audible sighs of relief echoing from each of them simultaneously.  "Night, Mabes."  Dipper murmured tiredly, already half asleep while Mabel mumbled something unintelligible back.  He smiled a little bit, drifting off soon enough.

Though he wouldn't really think about it now, Dipper would later be surprised to wake up with no dreams.  After years of nightmares plaguing his sleep, Dipper was finally rewarded with a restful, dreamless sleep of which he would definitely be grateful for.  A restful sleep was definitely a good thing.  His eyes closed and his breath evened out.  The only noise that could be heard was the soft breathing that echoed between the twins and the almost inaudible sounds of the creatures of the night that surrounded the Mystery Shack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey lovelies~ :D Just wanted to give a quick thanks to those that have read thus far and the two people that have kudoed this story. :3 They are: 
> 
> [Hooded_Smiles](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Hooded_Smiles) (This person also commented and bookmarked. *Fist bump*)
> 
> and
> 
> [MichiruCipher](http://archiveofourown.org/users/MichiruCipher)
> 
> (And they're hella rad.)
> 
> Secondly, I would like to say that I've decided to make both BillDip and Mabifica things that are going to happe, whether it be at some point or another. (BillDip will probably be a slow burn while I'm still unsure for Mabifica. Bear with me please.)
> 
> Next on the agenda is that, if you can't quite read all that up there due to the font or something, it reads:  
>  forgot to forget to remind to remember  
>  what little this mind can hold with the tremors  
>  remember to remind to forget to forgot  
>  they all seem too small so let them rot  
>  remind to forgot to remember to forget  
>  the pieces fall with little regret  
>  forget to remember to forgot to remind  
>  and just like that you try desperately to find
> 
> diliculum: To my understanding, it is Latin for "daybreak" or "dawn." (If I'm wrong, please tell me.)
> 
> I don't own Red Bull, nor do I own Gravity Falls or the Jonas Brothers. (Though I would love to own the Jonas Brothers and Gravity Falls, that dream will not be realized.)  
>  Also, the fonts I used were:  
> 
> 
> 1) [Beyond Wonderland](http://www.1001fonts.com/beyond-wonderland-font.html)
> 
> 2) [Scriptina](http://www.1001fonts.com/scriptina-font.html)
> 
> 3) [Eutemia I](http://www.1001fonts.com/eutemia-i-font.html)
> 
> 4) [Vtks Relaxing Blaze](http://www.1001fonts.com/vtks-relaxing-blaze-font.html)
> 
> 5) [a Theme for murder](http://www.1001fonts.com/a-theme-for-murder-font.html)
> 
> 6) [James Fajardo](http://www.1001fonts.com/james-fajardo-font.html)
> 
> I did not create nor do I own any of them. (I am not quite that talented. :D) 
> 
> Either way, that's about all I have to say at the moment other than thank you for reading and all that, so yeah. :3 You're all awesome.


	3. Entered to Leave

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There was always a time in every new beginning where greetings are needed. Where you meet the people you once knew and realize they haven't changed all that much. There's a time for every story where you reminisce and think back on better times. This was one of those times for Dipper Pines. Waking up the next day after the drive. He sees old friends and family before eventually finding his way to evening plans. 
> 
> (Alternatively titled, "That one chapter no one wants to write, but is essential before plot happens and then that one ship appears that we all know isn't going to be the end game ship.")

* * *

left to leave to entered to enter  
  
with hurried footsteps you make to the center  
  
enter to entered to leave to left  
  
after every fall you must know best  
  
enter to left to leave to entered  
  
into the depths of which you've ventured  
  
entered to leave to left to enter  
  
through very small doors that seem so slender 

* * *

      Mornings were such a beautiful thing.  The sun was shining, the birds were singing.  All was right with the world.  Dipper tiredly laid half asleep in his bed, somewhere between tranquility and bliss as he basked in the warmth and cuddled further into the pillow that had somehow ended up trapped in his arms.  His face was probably red from pressing into it all night.  The thought only made him burrow further against it, ignoring the light that just barely hit his form from the window.  The heat was welcomed, but just a hair away from being too hot as Dipper realized he had his hoodie on.  And... jeans?  Did he not change into any pajamas last night?  He grunted softly and turned over, facing the wall instead of the greater majority of his room, clinging to the drowsiness he had like a life line.  It wasn't often he had a good night's rest.  Actually, it wasn't often that Dipper Pines got any type of rest.  With his rampant nightmares and their terrifying nature, he often made himself stay awake even as his body seemed to yearn for and crave the not-so gentle cradle of sleep.  He only got enough to get by and nothing more, sometimes less.  Occasionally, on nights like this one had been, he would receive a long night of the best sleep of his life with few to no interruptions.  Unless you considered waking up to be an interruption.  Which, clearly, it was.  And, more often than not, Dipper's twin Mabel was as well.

      Just as the thought passed through his mind, Dipper tensed, realization crashing into his sleep fogged mind.  He instantly shifted to try and turn over again, wanting to be prepared for what was to come, but his movements were much slow, sluggish.  And as his movements were too slow, his thoughts had been as well, way too late to be able to catch what Mabel had planned.  For, you see, within the next second, Mabel came barreling into Dipper, pouncing on him with the ferocity of a kitten.  She was laughing the entire time, sweater clad self rumpled and a mess from the sleep she had woken up from, for once before the other twin.  Dipper yelped, a high pitched noise he would never own up to if he could help it.  Mabel only laughed harder, a wide grin shaped onto her freckled face.  Ever the morning person, the older twin-- by five minutes, Dipper noted once more as he always did when it was mentioned-- took to bringing her hands straight to Dipper's sides.  Dipper tensed and was instantly struggling to get away, the two of them in a tangle of thrown limbs and sheets.  Mabel didn't cease, fingers digging in to the sensitive skin he hated being touched. 

      It was in that moment, there and then, that Dipper realized he hated being tickled all over again.  "Pfff...  Haha!  M-Mabel, stop!"  He got out somehow, bursting into loud laughter he had no chance of being able to hold back.  He struggled even more, body twisting and curving in ways to get away from the other.  Sadly, he was at the mercy of his sister, who had taken to blocking the side of the bed that led to freedom- I mean, to the rest of the house.  Which, by all meanings of the word, really could be freedom.  Though Dipper was at the mercy of his sister, she gave none to him, laughing and grinning all the while.  Dipper kicked and wiggled, making his way toward the edge of the bed, laughter mingling with that of Mabel's own.  "Stooooooop!"  He said loudly, voice cracking halfway through.  And just like that, Dipper tumbled off the bed, realizing a little too late that he had reached the edge.  His hat fell off the rest of the way as it practically flew a few feet before gravity pulled it down, back slamming into the hard wood of the floor with a loud thump, but no real pain hit Dipper.  The only thing he felt was a little dazed, slight drowsiness, and the presence of a small ache in his limbs from the cramped drive and the hard sleep he had just gone through.

      Dipper's tired eyes slowly blinked, fuzzy and clouded as he stared up at the ceiling.  He stayed there, one leg half on the bed but just barely clinging to the edge of it, while the other one was off,  wrapped in the sheet he had been using the night before.  His arms were spread out over the floor on either side of him, hair a mess and tossed this way and that.  It revealed his namesake, the birthmark shown as his hair fell from his face.  He parted his lips to say something but the only noise that came out was the soft yawn he couldn't hold back.  Mabel was much too busy laughing on Dipper's bed to really care.  She was laying on her back, grin only growing.  Dipper huffed softly as he pulled his leg off the bed and sat up, leaning back on the palms of his hands and giving his sister a small glare.  Mabel didn't seem to care, so Dipper took the initiative, lunging forward and grabbing Mabel's ankle.  Mabel instantly quieted down, laughter dying and a look of pure, unadulterated horror spreading over her expression.  The next thing that could be heard was that of a loud, reverberating shriek that sent a strange happiness into Dipper.  He grinned wickedly and yanked, ignoring Mabel's attempts at getting away.  The girl was soon on the ground next to him, landing hard on her backside with her back against the side of the bed. 

      Now it was Dipper's turn to be amused.  He smirked widely, almost cockily as he looked over at her chuckling to himself.  Mabel pouted and lightly punched Dipper's shoulder.  Dipper did nothing but laugh lightly and rub his shoulder, humming low.  The silence that followed was a pleasant one as they both caught their breath and woke up the rest of the way.  Dipper stretched lazily, back popping and his breath escaping him in a soft groan.  Mabel took to running her fingers through her tangled hair, a smile still stretched over her face.  A fond look was in both of their eyes, warm in the companionable silence.  Dipper realized, after a few seconds of thinking about it, that he missed this.  Sure, they still could see each other every morning, but living in the same room left some time in the morning where the creak of a door wouldn't wake the unsuspecting twin up.  It was a nice reminder, a shot of nostalgia surging through Dipper's veins and he settled into a calm, relaxed state.  Mabel seemed to be thinking close to the same thing, a similar look to that of Dipper's own forming in her eyes and she smiled at her brother slightly.  He returned the look before standing up and stretching once again, a gentle atmosphere falling to hang around them, comfortable and pleasant.  He held a hand out toward Mabel, still smiling slightly as the brunette didn't hesitate to accept his hand and allow him to pull her up.

* * *

       Within close to an hour, after an argument over who would use the shower first, a rock-paper-scissors battle over it, going outside to grab what they needed for morning routines, and then getting ready for the day, Dipper was soon trailing into the kitchen area of the shack, looking much more awake than he had an hour before.  Mabel was already there, arms wrapped in probably one of the most painfully tight hugs that Great Uncle Ford would ever receive.  The man took it in stride, gently patting his great-niece's back and sipping his coffee as if the girl wasn't breaking his own back.  He had a smile spread across his face, almost awkward, but warm and familiar.  After their first summer, Stanford Pines, (Also known as Great Uncle Ford.) seemed to be around a lot more than that first one.  He was there every summer after that, studying something that Dipper couldn't quite recall the name of in that moment.  Mabel was talking animatedly, going on about how her school year went before Dipper rolled his eyes and took to saving their grunkle from the morning person.  He shifted forward and somehow pried Mabel off of him, setting the girl away where she wasn't attached to the poor man that was too nice to Mabel for either of their own good. 

      Now not obscured by the teenage girl known as Mabel, Dipper could see that Ford was dressed as he normally seemed to be in a way that showed where exactly Mabel got her love of sweaters from.  The man was dressed in that of a red turtleneck with a strap across his chest and a trench coat over it and his black dress pants.  His hair appeared to have thinned just a little bit since Dipper had last seen him, but he still looked close to the same.  The only real difference was the crack in his glasses as it had grown further over his lens, showing that they might have fallen or been hit with something more than just once.  The old man didn't seem to mind, using the glasses as if nothing was wrong.  Dipper made a mental note to replace the lens seeing as the other wouldn't do it himself. 

      "Sorry Great Uncle Ford.  You know how she is."  Dipper said with a laugh and Stanford simply shook his head, letting out his own deep, quiet laugh before Dipper found himself being pulled into the biggest of group hugs, Mabel somehow having wiggled out of Dipper's grip and pulled both of the scholars into yet another bone crushing hug.  Dipper heard the air leave his lungs before he felt it, getting pressed awkwardly against both his sister and his great uncle.  Dipper was more than sure that he was just caught in the crossfire because this did not feel like another awkward sibling hug.  He grunted and moved to struggle, needing to pull the air back into his lungs.  Within the next few moments, a burning sensation practically instantaneously shot through his arm and for the second time that day, Dipper found himself letting out a high pitched noise he would never even come close to owning up to.  A noise he instantly turned bright red from letting out, but a noise that did indeed leave him.  He yanked back from the both of them, brown eyed gaze instantly moving to rest on his chest, also known as the center of the random burning pain.

      What had been spilled on him instantly became clear as a dark stain had appeared on his shirt, steaming slightly before Dipper got the common sense to yank his hoodie off and pull the shirt off soon as well.  The teen winced as he spotted the pink splatter-like design on his skin, the pain still practically vibrating in that area.  Dipper dabbed at the wet skin with the dry area of his shirt, a soft sigh falling from his lips, forlorn and mildly upset.  That was going to hurt for a little bit.  And his shirt was most definitely ruin.  With a quick look over the evidence -a surprised looking Great Uncle Ford with an empty coffee mug and an equally as surprised Mabel- Dipper knew instantly that it had been hot coffee that decided to spite him.  He groaned, ignoring the apologies and playful jokes from both of them while he made his way out to the car to search for another shirt to wear.  He simply tossed the one he had been wearing on his way out, it landing in the trashcan with a slightly wet but otherwise not all that audible thump. 

      Dipper felt awkward, embarrassed to be walking around bare, but he really didn't have a choice.  His only other shirts were dirty and ruined and he unfortunately left his hoodie in the kitchen.  His face heated up further, warmth radiating from his cheeks adding on to the warmth radiating off of his chest, the scarlet color blotchy and weird across the otherwise tanned skin of his chest.  Though Dipper used to be a little more than just weak and stringy, the teen had filled out, the makings of abs forming on his stomach and muscles adding tone and definition to his otherwise slim figure.  He was sadly a short boy for his age, standing at about a five feet, six inches, once again still just barely taller than his sister Mabel.  She still seemed to be a millimeter taller than the brunet and just as she was the same height taller than him, she still seemed to take the same happiness out of teasing him about it.  But, if you were to think about it, that would be the only thing she would do in that situation. 

      The car was just as black and old looking as Dipper expected it to be when he reached it, the paint chipping in enough places to be noticeable and it holding a few dents and rusted parts here and there.  Despite the wear and tear, the machine held together well enough seeing as it brought them all the way here.  More than likely, it could bring them all the way back as well.  It wasn't a bad car, being one that the twins' father got them for their sixteenth birthday.  It was a model that Dipper didn't recognize, but there was probably a name for it somewhere out there.  The Pines wasn't exactly the most car savvy, so it wasn't that much of a surprise to find he didn't know what it would be called.  He did know it was a decent enough vehicle and that was really all he cared about.  The door made a creaking sound as he opened it, loud and in testifying dismay of the motion it was being put through.  Dipper didn't seem to care as he shuffled though his bag, searching for the shirt he so desired. 

      A soft noise of happiness fell from Dipper's lips as he finally seized the shirt, fingers tightening around it before he pulled it one, tugging it over his stinging chest.  The burn would probably hurt for a while, but thankfully it hadn't just been brewed when it was spilled over Dipper.  The brunet heaved a sigh of relief when he was finally covered, glad to find that no one had spotted him shirtless.  (Okay, it wasn't that he was _embarrassed_ over his not-quite abs...  Fine, he was a little embarrassed.  Don't tell Mabel.)  Dipper grabbed his hat from where it landed and placed it back on his head, adjusting it so it was on correctly.  Alright.  All he needed now was his hoodie.  Which was in the kitchen.  He glanced over his bags again, checking what all he would need to carry in...  Might as well do that now, right?  It wasn't like he had really brought too much stuff.  But then again...  He was feeling a little lazy today...  Dipper narrowed his eyes, feeling as if this was a difficult choice.  It really was, his body screaming at him not to do it and to just wait until Mabel decided she wanted her things inside.  That would be putting it off.  That would be procrastinating and, while Dipper hated procrastinating with a deep passion, not just seemed like the right time...

      After a long while and a long five minute debate between his reasonable side and his lazy side, Dipper finally groaned and started removing everything from the car.  He would call Mabel to help, but he knew as soon as he was back inside, the girl would see him carrying stuff and move to help.  So, in short, there was really no immediate need to call out to his sister.  She was more than likely greeting Grunkle Stan or Soos or even Wendy.  (That is, if the redhead had even come back to see them.  The college life was a busy one and Wendy went year round.  She was still close to Gravity Falls at the local college, but she lived up there to make things easier.)  Dipper hummed low, making a mental note to say hi to everyone later as he pulled his duffel bag over his shoulder and started pulling Mabel's suitcase toward the front door.  It was the biggest of the bags; however, it was only filled with sweaters and a few other things Mabel might have packed, so thankfully it was pretty light.  The black cloth and leather of the bag was barely visible, showing it was Mabel's as it had an absurd amount of stickers covering it.  Some were peeling off, but Mabel's only response to that was adding another layer of sticky monstrosities.  Dipper rolled his eyes looking over the bag, but was quickly forced to look forward as he ran into something.  Damn, did he run into a wall or somethi-

      "Hey dude!  Haha, it's been a while!"  Dipper heard the familiar voice of one of his closest friends, the presence of thick arms soon wrapping around him and lifting him up being the next show of who had just grabbed him.  The brunet did nothing but laugh and tilt his head to see the happy smiling face of his best bro.  They did a lot of dude things together, that was a given.  Jesus Ramirez, or, as he was more well known as, Soos, was giving a smile at the still much smaller he currently had crushed to his chest and lifted about a foot off of the ground.  Dipper smiled back and tried his best to hug the other before Soos set Dipper down.  The tan man looked close to what he did the summer before, his budding mustache having grown out a little bit more to form something reminiscent of a beard, but much to thin to be such.  His hair had grown just a little bit more and, one of the more important details, Soos was sporting a golden band around the ring finger of his left hand.  Dipper fondly remembered going to his and Melody's wedding the summer before, chuckling quietly as he thought back on how nervous Soos had been to propose, so Melody ended up doing it for him when she moved back from Portland.  Sadly, Soos's abuelita died a couple summers before, so she was unable to see him betrothed, though as the handyman put it, "She's smiling down at me from Heaven, dude.  Don't sweat it."

      Dipper brushed his clothes back to normal, adjusting his hat once again and still smiling happily up at the other.  "Hey Soos.  How's Melody?"  He wondered curiously, turning to lift up the suitcase that had fallen in the sudden hug.  He was once again facing forward to look up at the taller man with a curious eyebrow raised.  He had not seen Melody in some time, but from what he had heard, the woman was two months pregnant.  Apparently the couple was ecstatic, looking forward to the approach of another life into the world.  The warm look that instantly appeared in Soos's eyes at the mention of the woman served to make Dipper's heart warm as well, glad that even from seeing a glance of Soos that he was happy with how his life had turned up as.

      "Oh man, dude.  You should see her!  She's just getting a baby bump.  Haha, she's great."  Soos said animatedly, gesturing around his midsection to make his point.  Dipper silently imagined the woman with a baby bump and couldn't help yet another smile.  The two were perfect for each other.  Even after only getting to know each other over the computer, they were both nervous but hit it off.  A lot of stuff happened and here they were, starting a family and happy.  Despite the budding family, Soos remained at the Mystery Shack to work with Grunkle Stan.  (He did see Stanley Pines as a sort of father figure, after all.)  However, with the family coming, he took more time off but thankfully money was not an issue as Great Uncle Ford somehow convinced his brother to give Soos a raise.  Dipper laughed lightly.

      "Yeah, I heard about that.  Congratulations, Soos.  That's great."  Dipper said with a low hum, the excitement radiating off of Soos just enough to make his own skyrocket and make a wide smile form.  The Latino always seemed to have that effect on him, able to make even the smallest of things seem exciting.  There was always that part of Dipper, the rational part of him, that said he needed to calm down and not get worked up, but sometimes he didn't listened and got hyped over whatever Soos was hyped about.  Even with that factor, Dipper would have been excited anyway.  He thought Soos would make a good father.  That was given.  He was good with Dipper and Mabel when they were children.  No doubt he would be great with his own children. 

      "Thanks, dude."  Soos said brightly before pausing and looking down at the stuff that Dipper had in hand.  Before Dipper could attempt to tell what he was doing and protest, Soos had seized both the duffel and the suitcase from the brunet and turned to start inside.  "I've got this.  Go get some more stuff, dude."  Soos said, leaving little to no room for argument before he disappeared into the Mystery Shack to set everything down, leaving a surprised but reluctantly grateful Dipper in his wake.  Dipper was thankful that Soos was helping because now it wouldn't take as long, but then again, it was making Soos go out of his way just to help him.  Dipper sighed, knowing he had no way of convincing him otherwise, a light tilt of a smile on his lips as he turned and started back on toward the car to grab the next set. 

      As the twins hadn't really brought all that much, the trips from the car to the Mystery Shack were few and the time between them took little time as Dipper would simply have to pass everything off to Soos and the other would deliver it to Mabel and Stanford, who would take everything to the right rooms.  Though Dipper missed sleeping in the same room as his sister, they still both needed their own spaces.  Living in the same room would be nostalgic and happy for a total of maybe a few days before they realized how much they needed to have a place to themselves.  Dipper would be getting the attic and Mabel would be moving into the room they once fought over mainly because Mabel called dibs.  International dibs code called she would be having it and Dipper wasn't really all that one for arguing.  Soon enough everything was in the right place and Dipper was greeted with the sight of Grunkle Stan as he pulled his blue zip-up hoodie on, only zipping it to about his mid-chest. 

      It was obvious the more gruff of the Stan twins was either ready to give some tours or he had just gotten done with one, dressed up in the suit he often wore when he gave them.  The eye patch was placed over the left eye this time, something completely unneeded seeing as it was just a cheap prop to seem more mysterious.  The Man of Mystery always, it seemed.  He had his fez in hand, showing that his hair had thinned out just a little bit more than his brother's, but he still looked the same, only with a little more of a wrinkled edge to his face.  It suit the old man, showing his years with just one look over his form.  His eyes told differently, showing how much energy and how much of a fight he would be giving the death that undoubtedly would be coming later rather than sooner.  The second he saw the twins, he was attacked in a hug that Mabel quickly brought Dipper into.  Dipper acted reluctant but wrapped his arms around their great uncle anyway. 

      "Woah kids, be careful there.  You're gonna break somethin'."  Grunkle Stan got out with a laugh, hugging the both of them back before the two were off of him, smiles on their faces.  Though there was often a time that the two didn't see eye to eye, Dipper had missed the man.  Mabel and Grunkle Stan may be extremely close, but the second half of the twins had his own close relationship with the conman.  Dipper slid his hands into his pockets idly, giving a small smile despite himself that Mabel took and amplified, straight teeth white and shown off in a wide grin.  Grunkle Stan returned the grin and soon enough the two were off, talking about what the other had missed.  Dipper smiled and turned so he could let the two have their moment, strolling into the shop portion of the Mystery Shack and taking up register duty.  Since everyone was away at the moment, Dipper deemed himself the cashier for the time being.  So he quickly took up position, seating himself at the counter and lazily looking around the familiar shack he had come to love. 

      The knickknacks scattered around were just as overpriced as ever, but seemed to be a little different as some of the attractions Grunkle Stan kept around had changed.  Dipper chuckled at the sight of a few of them, finding it hilarious how anyone would even believe any of this was real.  It was obvious none of it was, but that was probably only because Dipper himself relied on mostly scientific fact.  For example; fairies and gnomes obviously weren't real.  But the Loch Ness Monster had some proof behind its existence.  With there being dinosaurs in the past with such features as it...  Hm...  Dipper's eyes fell to the countertop below him, the brown growing slightly dull and possibly just a little watery.

      Something about the thought of gnomes and fairies not existing just made him feel...  oddly sad.  His heart felt as if it had plummeted, aching despite everything.  There was no logic behind it, but every part of him seemed to detest the idea of such things not being real.  The only part of him not feeling conflicted was his brain, which screamed and battled the rest of him to say that they definitely were not real.  He took in a deep breath and let it out, a soft shuddery sound despite Dipper's nonexistent understanding of the sudden wave of sadness.  He tapped his chin lightly, trying to figure out just what was wrong, but it seemed the universe had other plans. 

      The soft sound of a clearing throat snapped Dipper out of his thoughts, his eyes instantly shifting to land on the person at the counter.  The smile he pulled was a practiced one, friendly and fake that he showed to customers.  But, as he came to recognize the red hair and freckled skin of the person that stood before him, that fake smile took a turn, instantly becoming more real and happy upon seeing yet another one of his close friends.  "Hey Dipper."  Wendy said with a small smile, her ever-present hat still on her head, though she seemed to switch out the green flannel for red flannel.  It also became abundantly obvious that she had cut her hair, the red strands falling to her shoulders instead of to her waist as it once did.  Having grown into a college student instead of the teen she once was, Wendy had grown a little taller with the obvious changes of fuller hips and breasts while her facial features grew more defined and sharp.  Her lips were pulled up into a smile and Dipper, despite his supposed loss of a crush on her, felt his face heat up as he nervously smiled back.

      Okay, fine.  Maybe Dipper's crush was still there.  Maybe he still might like Wendy a little bit.  That didn't mean anything.  It wasn't as bad as it used to be, that was for sure.  He knew it was as hopeless as it used to be, seeing as she had a boyfriend then and he was not about to try seeing as, again, there was no hope.  So, they settled for being friends.  Or, Dipper settled for being friends.  It was more than just clear that was what Wendy wanted, so Dipper was okay with it.  As long as she was happy, he was cool with it.  It wasn't like he saw any real chance for them being together.  His once twelve-year-old mind fooled him into thinking that he had intense feelings for this girl, when in reality it was more like a crush than he realized.  Just a passing fancy that he would have to soon realize wasn't going anywhere.  And he did.  There was just one part of him that still clung to the feelings he had for her, that caused his face to burn when he saw her sometimes.  He was okay with that.  They were just friends.  He would just have to get over the feelings sometime.

      "Hey Wendy."  Dipper finally greeted with a small grin that Wendy mirrored, her lips pulled up in a more laid back version of Dipper's own.  Wendy was quick to jump over the counter and pull the now taller Pines into a hug, Dipper's face only growing into a darker red as he hesitated to hug her back.  There goes the panic as he struggled to try and figure out what to do.  He definitely needed to hug her back.  That was a given.  But for how long?  How long would it take for this hug to seem less platonic and friendly before it took a turn and made him seem creepy and weird.  Dread balled up in his gut and he could already tell his palms were sweating.  He probably would have been shaking had he not had a firm yet kind hold on the red head that hugged him.  The panic was short lived and put to an abrupt end when Wendy pulled back after a few more moments of hugging.  She shifted and leaned back against the counter.  As said, she had taken more to the college life now and, as an extension, had to leave her job at the shack.  Grunkle Stan understood though he was a little upset about it, but they lived.

      "What's going on Dipper?  We haven't talked in like..."  The girl trailed off, flicking her hair out of her eyes and thinking back.  "I'm just gonna settle on forever, okay?"  Wendy paused to laugh, Dipper doing the same before she calmed down and lifted an eyebrow curiously, head tilted slightly and her eyes resting on Dipper's brown ones.  Oh shit.  Dipper, chill.  Take some deep breaths and calm down.  This is not a good time to get butterflies, sweet Jesus. Dipper did just that, breathing in and releasing the air before he pulled another smile and moved to reply to the girl before him.

      "Eh, I'm alright.  Just got back here late last night."  Dipper answered with a small shrug, resting his palms on the part of the seat revealed between his legs, trying to appear as calm and normal as he could.  He was calm and normal, what are you talking about?  Perfectly calm and rational and okay and stop existing you stupid butterflies!  Dipper had to look down to hide his red face, tugging at a string that hung off the padding of the stool he had taken refuge on.  "S-So, how are you?"  He quickly spoke up, remembering that small talk required asking questions back when you needed to further the conversation.  So there he was, small talking his ass off.

      After a little bit, Dipper grew less nervous and they fell back into their old routine, making corny jokes and laughing their heads off to the stupidest of things.  Dipper forgot what he was even nervous and panicked about in the first place, his lips tugged up in a wide, embarrassing grin that so terribly showed off the dimples he detested.  Dimples that he currently wished would just go away for a while and never come back.  Wendy playfully shoved Dipper, the girl now just a few inches shorter than that of the brunet since puberty hit him.  Dipper did not stumble as he expected he would, but he did rub where she had shoved with a small grin.

      "Oh my god, dude, no!"  Wendy laughed out before they slowly calmed down and she sighed, relaxing as she looked over the shack.  Once again, Dipper was hit with a wave of nostalgia, reminding him of all the times they spent doing this very same thing, hanging out behind the counter and just talking about whatever came to mind.  It made his stomach do twists and his heart flutter just the tiniest of bits.  He glanced over at Wendy before turning his eyes downward, staring at the floor for lack of anything he wanted to look at that wouldn't count as creepy.  A soft gasp left Wendy that made Dipper jump, disrupting the quiet and shocking the Pines more than it probably should have.  He blinked curiously, staring at Wendy with a raised eyebrow and a slightly worried look in his eyes.  "Dipper, me and the gang were thinking about hanging out tonight.  You should come with.  It could be fun.  And you can invite Mabel too.  It'll be great."

      Dipper paused at that, surprise filling him.  He did want to see everyone, but he didn't expect that Wendy would go out of her way to ask him to join them.  Dipper once again was hit with the terrible feeling of his face heating up.  "Yes!  I-I mean- Cool, cool.  I'll check with Mabel and see if she wants to go."  Dipper ducked his head down, staring at the wooden ground and trying to push away the embarrassment he felt at seeming so eager to go out with friends.  Of course he had to embarrass himself like that.  Great job, Dipper.  Great.  He flushed a darker red, biting the inside of his cheek as he tried to shove away the distress he felt at such a simple thing he knew he really shouldn't be all that worried about.

      Wendy laughed lightly at Dipper and nodded with an excited grin, one the brunet only saw because he glanced up at her laugh.  "Great!  We're meeting up at the movies at nine, so we'll probably be out late."  Wendy explained quickly before glancing at the time.  Her eyes grew wide and she groaned, face palming.  "Oh shit.  I've gotta go, Dipper.  Dad's expecting me home five minutes ago."  She said and raced around the counter, waving over her shoulder and disappearing before Dipper even had the time to try and say a goodbye back.  He settled for hoping she would get home soon before he turned back to help a customer that Wendy nearly ran into.

      The Pines gave an apologetic smile at the man and quickly rang up the items, mind plagued with thoughts of what would happen later that night.  A few minutes later, right as the customer was walking out, Mabel was walking in, a wide smile on her face and a familiar blond trailing beside her.  "Dipper!!  Pacifica came by to see us!"  Mabel said excitedly, throwing her arms up, eyes growing bright with an emotion that Dipper had learned well.  It was the, 'My crush is here!' face.  Dipper hummed low and gave a small wave toward the model, the rich girl giving it back as well as a friendly smile.  Though she could still be a little snooty from time to time, Pacifica had learned to show her kinder side over the years, determined to make the Northwest family a much better legacy starting now.  They didn't hug, but only because the two of them decided hugs were only special occasions.  They traded formalities, but before any real conversation could start, Mabel was dragging the tall girl off to do something else. 

      Once again, Dipper Pines was left to his thoughts.  And, also once again, he let his gaze wander, tracing over the knickknacks and landing on one of the windows.  He stared out it for a long while, watching anything that might have passed by the window while simultaneously staring at the clouds.  A flash of red caught his eyes and he blinked curiously, gaze falling to land on what appeared to be...  garden gnome?  Dipper stared at it for a long moment and it seemed to stare back, its eyes dull and its features still.  It was an everyday gnome, but it stood at the edge of the forest, unblinking as it stared at the Mystery Shack.  Dipper stared back, surprised to see the inanimate object around.  The thing was obviously just a prank pulled by some kids trying to freak them out.  Dipper shrugged and returned to looking at knickknacks, unaware as the gnome seemed to come to life and scramble away, horror clear on its face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there babs. :D Just wanted to say that you all are glorious and I love you all. <3 Thanks for sticking through this long. Now, just to tell you for now, plot will once again happen in the next chapter. This was kinda just one of those boring, things no one wants to write but it's necessary to write so that the plot may progress. More plot and interesting stuff shall come next chapter hopefully, so don't worry, alright? Things will start speeding up just a tiny bit hopefully soon enough.  
>  Here are the peeps that kudoed and commented since last time:
> 
> [Eyewoods](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Eyewoods) (One of our lovely commenters as well as kudoer. :D)  
>  [DarlingGem](http://archiveofourown.org/users/DarlingDem) (Another commenter. Aren't they glorious?)  
>  [Torikm](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Torikm) (They haven't commented yet, but I still think they're pretty hella.)  
>  [aranymancs](http://archiveofourown.org/users/aranymancs) (They seem pretty legit, not gonna lie.)
> 
> And the one person that has only commented since last time. (They've also kudoed, but I'mma show them again for the comment~)
> 
> [MichiruCipher](http://archiveofourown.org/users/MichiruCipher/pseuds/MichiruCipher)
> 
> If you can't read what I put all the way up there in fonts and stuff, it should say:  
>  left to leave to entered to enter  
>  with hurried footsteps you make to the center  
>  enter to entered to leave to left  
>  after every fall you must know best  
>  enter to left to leave to entered  
>  into the depths of which you've ventured  
>  entered to leave to left to enter  
>  through very small doors that seem so slender
> 
> Also, the fonts I used were:  
> 
> 
> 1) [Beyond Wonderland](http://www.1001fonts.com/beyond-wonderland-font.html)
> 
> 2) [Scriptina](http://www.1001fonts.com/scriptina-font.html)
> 
> 3) [Eutemia I](http://www.1001fonts.com/eutemia-i-font.html)
> 
> 4) [Vtks Relaxing Blaze](http://www.1001fonts.com/vtks-relaxing-blaze-font.html)
> 
> 5) [a Theme for murder](http://www.1001fonts.com/a-theme-for-murder-font.html)
> 
> 6) [James Fajardo](http://www.1001fonts.com/james-fajardo-font.html)
> 
> I did not create nor do I own any of them. (I am not quite that talented. :D) 
> 
> That is about all I have to say, so yeah. Talk to you all later. <3


	4. Shake to Run

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Movies are always a cool place to hang out. Well, until you end up feeling a little iffy during the movie. Then it's probably the best plan to get out of there. Now look at you, walking around with no destination in mind. Wherever do you think you could end up?

 

* * *

shook to shake to ran to run  
  
don't even attempt to look for anyone  
  
run to ran to shake to shook  
  
he never gave but always took  
  
ran to shook to run to shake  
  
catch on with every grin he makes  
  
shake to run to shook to ran  
  
if all else fails, don't trust that man 

* * *

      Dipper stared hard at the clothes he had laid out on his bed, a look of concentration decorating his face and focused on the current situation.  Hm...  His eyes narrowed slightly.  Dipper Pines was being a total girl right now, but he could honestly care less.  He wasn't sure what exactly to wear.  He sighed lightly, still staring intently at what he had laid out so far. He had been undecided for about five minutes. He grumbled something under his breath before he finally just gave up and threw something on.  There goes his attempt at looking organized tonight.  Dipper simply pulled on an orange shirt and his same old zip-up hoodie, one of which was worn and had a hole in the back, but he loved the old hoodie and wouldn't dare give it away if he had the choice.  He wore an old pair of jeans, remembering the fact that, if he knew the people he was going to be hanging out with, they were probably going to end up running around at some point.  Jeans and a tee shirt were probably the best decision for the night he was preparing for.  So, keeping that in mind, Dipper just pulled on a pair of old sneakers and adjusted his lucky hat as he added the final touches.  Which basically just meant running his fingers through his hair and pulling on a belt.  Dipper wasn't really one for doing much to look good.  He was more of a wake up and go kind of person.  Usually his attempts to dress up any better than he usually did ended up with him just throwing something on and walking out, much like now.  Looking nice wasn't his thing.  (Though, if you were to ask anyone else, they'd say he looked decent enough.)

      Dipper looked over himself once more, eyes sliding down his own form to make sure that nothing was too off in his messy attire.  He hummed low before shrugging and starting toward the door to his room.  He would have to go meet up with everyone at nine.  He felt a little more than nervous, seeing as Mabel wasn't going.  She said she was going to hang out with her own friends, Candy and Grenda, tonight.  So, that left Dipper to his own with a bunch of college kids at a probably R-rated movie and then whatever illegal thing they felt they would want to do.  Dipper felt his palms sweat just thinking about being out without Mabel.  Sure, they've separated quite a bit since they were kids, being able to go out and do things on their own without needing a hand to hold... The hand to hold was what made it so much more comfortable to be able to hang around people he might not know as much as he did the summer before.  That was more than likely just Dipper's anxiety talking, but he prepared himself for anything.  He kept his pocket knife with him, his wallet with some money in it (But not _too_ much money.  Who knows if someone will try and rob him?  This was Gravity Falls, but living in a larger place than this seemed to make him paranoid.), his phone, and other miscellaneous items that he thought he might need.  He did well with a pocket knife.  When and why he gained this skill, but it came in handy.  Dipper grunted as he began walking out of his room.  He paused in the doorway, reaching a hand up to his head as it began to spin.  He rested his other on the doorframe, eyes closing as he attempted to catch himself.  He couldn't stabilize himself for a long moment, the room spinning and spinning around his head.  Then, all at once, it was gone.  His eyes blinked, cleared from their blurred state.  Holy hell.  He grunted quietly and forced himself to stand up straight, shaking his head. 

      What was that?  Dipper stayed still, a worried expression sliding over his face.  Was it just a random head rush...?  He took a deep breath in through his nose and released it in a slow, quiet sigh.  Random didn't really feel like it.  Dipper continued on his way, a thoughtful look on his face as he trudged down the stairs.  That keeps happening.  Every once and a while, when he drifts off into thought, it somehow just throws him off balance and he gets head rushes just like that, dizzy spells he really didn't like.  It worried him but he had yet to talk to anyone about it, knowing it would only just worry Mabel or his great uncles.  No need to make a big deal about it until he looks into it a little more.  He would definitely need to look into it.  With a low hum, he decided maybe he would do some research when he got home that night.  Hopping the last two steps, Dipper landed on the ground floor with a small stumble, chuckling at himself as he forgot his balance hadn't quite recovered from the little bout. He leaned against the wall for a moment, sighing before he finally pushed himself up into a standing position.  His hand moved up to adjust the old and torn pine tree hat he has had for years- since his very first summer there in Gravity Falls.

      The blue and white baseball cap has seen years of damage, but Dipper couldn't bring himself to get rid of it.  It was a gift from Grunkle Stan from the first summer he had been in Gravity Falls.  So many interesting and fun things had happened that summer that he wore it even when he was back home in Piedmont. Dipper Pines was attached to the thing.  Mabel, unlike Dipper, looked for the most off thing in the gift shop when looking for something, also known as a grappling hook.  Dipper couldn't remember a single time she used it for anything practical, as it was probably only useful whenever she wanted to bother Dipper with it or scare her parents into debating whether it would be a good idea to send them back to Gravity Falls that next summer.  The only plausible reason that Dipper could give them to convince them to send them back was that Gravity Falls was just a small town with barely any danger to really do anything to Dipper and Mabel.  Which couldn't be more true.  Gravity Falls could be considered very boring and humdrum would it not be for the people that lived in it.  Old Man McGucket would be one of those people.  But, let's not get into that one.  After much begging and convincing from the twins, their parents reluctantly sent them to Gravity Falls that next summer. 

      Dipper strolled into the living room like he hadn't just had a strange head rush the twentieth time that day, keeping his footsteps and breathing even so to not draw any unwanted attention.  He didn't need anyone worrying about him right now.  He was worried more than enough by himself.  Adding Mabel or Grunkle Stan or Great Uncle Ford to that would just make the situation a lot worse than he needed it to be.  Mabel had a look of excitement over her face as he walked in, watching the girl basically be bouncing off the walls as she hopped up and down waiting for her friends to get here.  Pacifica stood beside her, arms crossed over her chest as she looked around the area curiously.  Dipper realized the girls never really went into the living room when they were all together, mainly sticking to the kitchen and the downstairs bedroom when they hung out and had slumber parties.  The two were both in their pajamas, Pacifica in a tank top and some pajama pants with her hair pulled back in a pony tail, though her makeup was done.  Dipper kept his eyes on her own as he walked up.  He did not need to think about Pacifica in that way ever.  She was attractive, yes, but he did not want to even attempt to get in between the blonde and his sister.  Dipper thought they were dating for at least half of the summers him and Mabel had been there, but was quickly told no when he brought it up to the two.  They were a dark red for a while, Dipper oblivious to the problem at the time. 

      Dipper shrugged at his thoughts and flashed a tiny little smile at Pacifica, who returned it.  "Hey Dipper." She said calmly, nodding in his direction and reached over to lightly pat him on the back.  Hugs were meant for special occasions when it was needed.  Hugs just weren't their thing.  Both were extremely okay with that.  Dipper nodded back and slid his hands into the pockets of his hoodie, looking at all the junk food and stacks of movies that had been gathered on the floor.  He internally winced and made a mental note to run up stairs when he got home instead of just walking.  He did not want to witness this. 

      "Hey, Pacifica.  Waiting for Candy and Grenda?"  Dipper questioned idly, watching Mabel turn around and smile at him as she adjusted a few things in the piles she accumulated.  She hasn't seen her best friends for almost an entire year.  Well, closer to about nine months or so.  She was expected to be excited about it.  Dipper was happy to see her so energetic.  "Figured they'd be here by now."  He commented, shrugging and turning his gaze to his sweater, short shorts, and long socks clad sister.  She still had that obsession with sweaters.  Dipper doubted she would ever grow out of that one. 

     "Yeah, well, I guess they, like, had to walk or something, maybe?  I don't really know."  Pacifica hummed, smiling a little more as she watched Mabel run into the kitchen and come back in with more candy and junk they probably wouldn't be able to finish.  Dipper noticed something sparkly to the side and blinked, focusing on it as Pacifica moved to try and calm down Mabel some.  Horror slowly grew on Dipper's face, growing through his body at a rapid pace that only seemed to spread all the way through him.  _God help us... Glitter._ Dipper shuddered and the moment that he heard Grenda's deep voice and Candy's own lightly accented one, he grew tense.  _Fuck.  Get out of there, Dipper._   Without a moment of hesitation, Dipper made a break for the door, swerving around Grenda and Candy. 

      "You guys have fun with that!"  Dipper called over his shoulder, hearing a simultaneous "Hi Dipper!" from the two girls.  "Hey Grenda, Candy."  He added, not wanting to be rude as he let out a sigh of relief.  Good.  No one offered up makeovers this time before he could leave.  That has happened to him at literally every sleepover the girls have had since he could remember.  Nope.  Not this time.  Grunkle Stan could deal with that.  He was not going to have his face covered in makeup today.  He glanced at the time and decided about then was a good time to head out.  Not that he really had that much of a choice, to be honest.  No way in hell was he going back in the Shack until he absolutely had to...  He debated sleeping in the car tonight, but shook his head to clear that thought.  No, he would just have to either climb up to his room or run to his room when they weren't looking.  Then lock the door.  And put a chair under the door knob.  Just to be safe.  Dipper nodded his head at his plan and twirled his car keys around his index finger, whistling to himself as he walked to his car.  It was old, but it still had a few good miles to it. 

      Climbing in the dark car, Dipper pulled his seat belt on without a second thought.  He didn't like getting in a car without one on.  What if something happened on the way?  The idea of danger like that made him feel way too anxious and scared to not wear one.  Then he was off.  Before too long Dipper found himself at the theater, literally the only one in Gravity Falls.  The only movies that seemed to play were old cheesy horror movies and assorted kids' movies.  Today they were going to watch an old zombie movie he couldn't really remember the name of.  Parking and unbuckling his seat belt, Dipper climbed out of the car only to see Tambry, Wendy, and Robbie.  The rest of the crew had gone to assorted towns too far away for a simple drive to fix meet up with everyone. 

      Dipper smiled slightly at the group.  Now almost as tall as Robbie, Dipper didn't have to crane his neck to look up at anyone anymore as he walked up to them.  "Hey Dipper."  Wendy said with a friendly grin, doing a small wave as the other two greeted him, not quite as warmly as Wendy did.  Tambry was nearly neutral to Dipper most of the time while him and Robbie barely got along even after Robbie started dating Tambry.  Soon enough they were walking into the movie theater, talking and acting like old times.  The only difference being that the others weren't there to make Thompson do something ridiculous.  Dipper chuckled at the memory, finding himself sitting in between an empty seat and Wendy, Robbie and Tambry seated beside Wendy on the other side of her. 

     The movie started off slow, just a couple of people going about their normal lives before they got pulled together in their attempts to survive the newly formed zombie apocalypse.  The zombies were way too played up and didn't really look too much like zombies, as to be expected with such an old movie, but the entire time Dipper felt oddly... Uncomfortable?  Something just felt off.  He stared at the screen, resting his chin in his palm as his elbow rested on the arm rest opposite to the one he was being forced to share with Wendy.  The sound of a loud gunshot echoed through the theater as yet another zombie was killed and Dipper frowned, staring at the zombie's completely dead frame for the few moments it was in view.  Dipper hummed under his breath, eyes scrutinizing every moment of the movie with the amount of concentration that a critic would give it.  His mind gave him facts and ideas he couldn't quite place the source of.  He didn't know that much about zombies.  Ghosts, maybe.  But definitely not zombies. 

     "Dipper, you okay dude?  You're a little tense."  Wendy's voice whispered his way and Dipper tensed just barely, turning to look at Wendy before he forced himself to sit up and act normal.  "Awe, are you scared?  Haha, it's just an old movie."  She teased, giving a small smile that Dipper returned as he laughed lightly with her.  "The actors are so bad though."  She hummed, turning her eyes to the screen once more as one of the stereotypical dumb blondes appeared in the picture and was quick to be swarmed by zombies, screaming as the zombies bit into her limbs, fake blood spewing everywhere.

      Dipper, about to comment on the movie, paused and sighed, shaking his head.  "No, I'm not scared.  I just kinda have a headache."  He lied calmly, hoping the way his voice grew a little unstable would add to the whole headache lie.  "I think I'm going to head out.  The movie's just going to kill my head."  He said with an attempt of a smile, standing and making it out of the aisle with a light hum.  Wendy, slightly worried, nodded and gave a wave, staring after him with a small frown as he disappeared out of the room and walked right out of the theater.  The fresh air that hit him made him calm down a little bit.  He rubbed the back of his neck and stared up at the night sky with a tilt to his head.  His brown eyes filled with annoyance and more than just slight confusion.  Checking the time with a soft sigh, Dipper saw the little white numbers read 9:07pm.  

      The brunet really didn't want to get back to the house until a little bit later.  Maybe then he wouldn't have to deal with some of the girls' sleepover shenanigans...  But what could he even do?  He didn't want to run around the town all night, but at the same time, he also didn't want to wait the extra hour and thirty minutes until Wendy, Robbie, and Tambry got out of the movies.  He stayed silent, staring up at the bright stars and contemplating what all he should do.  With so little to even do in such a small town, there wasn't a whole lot to choose from, both a blessing and a curse...  Dipper breathed out a slow sigh, deflated as he turned his eyes to the cracked pavement beneath his feet and over the asphalt that it attached to.  With little else to do, Dipper shook his head, picked a direction, and started walking.

      The town was peaceful enough that Dipper didn't honestly think he needed to be careful, but some part of him was very paranoid, so he kept his back straight as he walked and kept his eye out.  He didn't really have a destination, and without that he had no will to really get anywhere, so his footsteps were slow and steady, eyes lazily drifting over the cement beneath him and his hands shoved into his pockets.  His mind wandered, drifting from one random topic to the next with the same aimless wandering as the man himself.  He moved on through the sleepy little town, keeping his eyes on no one thing for too long while simultaneously keeping his brain on everything but the constant dizzy spells that have been hitting him.  Dipper doesn't want to think about that right now...  But he was worried about it...  Dipper frowned slightly, pausing on the sidewalk and staring at the store across from him for a long while as he thought. 

      They could be caused by a great variety of things.  A great variety of things that Dipper Pines had no well versed knowledge to be able to list off every possible option or route that the little spells could be.  He hummed low, reaching one of his hands up to adjust the white and blue hat atop his head for no real reason other than the pure habit of it.  Closing his eyes, Dipper collected himself and turned, continuing off, twisting and turning down alleyways and dodging around buildings.  If it weren't for the fact that Dipper knew this town like the back of his hand, he probably would have found himself lost by this point.

      However; Dipper was not lost, but he was just a little bit surprised to see a lit up building where he had never seen it before.  His brown eyes stared at the two story building, the odd dark brown of the bricks built up high with a wide and tall glass window in the front to display different books of the paranormal, odds and ends, trinkets of varying creepiness.  (Dipper was positive he saw a shrunken head in there.)  Black silk looking fabric held the different items on display, bunching up in some areas and flowing smoothly beneath the books and tarot cards.  Some jewelry was added to the bunch, gold and silver, with assorted gems that Dipper didn't have the eye to tell if they were real or not.  The window had sleek, cursive letters in an almost blood red spelling out, 'Artifacts, Tarot Card Readings & Books.' 

      The door was old and wooden, a dark black with swirling patterns of gold starting at the bottom and moving upward, circling over the rounded top and back down the other side.  It was closer to the left corner of the store, with only a small sign that flashed in neon colors of a bright purple, reading 'OPEN' in bubble letters, separating it from the corner.  The only thing keeping the entire store looking like it was something out of a gothic sterotype's fantasy was the light that streamed in through the purple curtains just behind the display, a sliver of golden barely visible where the curtains parted.  A gold design was embroidered into the ends of the curtains, drifting up in swirls and something Dipper could make out to be skulls.  Golden ropes hung down on either side of the curtains, somehow visible from where Dipper stood across the street.

      The roof of the store was like a house's, pointed upward at an angle, though its slopes drifted upward at a slow incline, the four sides meeting up at the top in a pyramid like fashion.  It as an odd store to say the least, one that looked like it shouldn't be in the town, though it's oddness factor fit right in.  A sign resting leisurely on the roof gave the name, 'The Devil's Obelisk' in elegant, sloping script.  The 'i' of the 'Obelisk' took shape of that of an obelisk, an eye reminiscent of that of the Eye of Providence being the tittle of the 'i' itself just over the obelisk. 

      While not particularly interested in the tarot cards or Ouija boards that were shown in the store, at least not right then, Dipper did like the thought of looking through the books it appeared to hold.  Something about the shop intrigued him while simultaneously pulling him in.  It was more of his attention being drawn to it and the boredom that plagued him that made him take those steps toward the store, his feet taking him across the street.  Dipper has never once seen it before, so he assumed it was either new or he just never took notice of it before, which didn't seem likely considering how different it was to the rest of the town.  "Weird store..."  Dipper muttered under his breath, hand taking ahold of the golden knob and twisting before he pushed it open, slow and uncertain.  This was a strange store.  It wasn't frightening to him, but something about it was definitely... off.

      The inside was much fancier than that of the outside would portray, a black glass dome fixture of ornate design hanging from the middle of the roof.  Maroon lace hung from the glass dome, drifting in eight different directions, over to the corners and meeting the four walls halfway between corners, golden trinkets and pieces hanging off the lace as an additive to the decorations, little lanterns hanging off as well to add some light other than the lone tall lamp that stood in the corner just behind the counter beside him.  If Dipper wanted to place two or three books under his feet, he might have been able to jump up and touch the hanging lace.  The walls were a darker red that flickered with the flame of the candles in the lanterns in an ominous way.

      The purple curtains of the display hung behind the counter to the right of Dipper, the counter of glass that moved out and turned at an angle before moving down the length of the room until it reached a gate that allowed whoever needed to be behind the counter to get there.  The inside of the counter was decorated much like the display case outside the store, but on a much smaller scale and without the curtains, behind the counter easily visible through it to see the little stool sitting just in front of the cash register, spot empty as no one was on duty in that particular moment. Or they were and just weren't there. In any case, it made him wonder if there even was anyone other than him in the store. Maybe the owner stepped out for a moment? 

      In any case, Dipper felt his interest pique as he walked further into the store, the dark wooden floors making soft noises under his feet as he began to look around curiously.  Though, at first, the store seemed like nothing more than an odds and ends voodoo, possibly black magic shop, Dipper would soon discover there was a little more about it.  His head tilted and brown eyes lighting with a twinkling curiosity that many would describe as both endearing and dangerous- curiosity did kill the cat, after all.  At this point, Dipper might as well sprout a tail and ears.  The objects that the store held were all on different shelves about the room, lining the walls and covering the tables and other surfaces kept in the middle of the room.  Dipper trailed around the store slowly, tracing over some of the items with his fingers and picking up an assortment of jewelry out of nothing more than a burning curiosity that refused to be sated.  He even lifted a few of the more obscure, scarier looking items.  However; he didn't dare go towards things such as the monkey's paw, something about them putting him so off-set that he made sure to give them a wide berth. 

     Dipper was not quite sure just why his mind kept him from moving toward all the items, but a part of him warned him, _begged him_ not to go near them.  His subconscious screeched and yelled at him, body tingling with some weak, but impacting amount of dread and anxiety that made it glaringly obvious that he should _not_ even attempt to disobey his instincts.  So, in no hurry to make himself have a sudden anxiety attack from simply being near items, Dipper heeded the warnings and stayed away from them with as much confusion and slight annoyance as you would expect from the man.  The brunet wasn't exactly sure where all these feelings were coming from.  Sure, some people had what was supposedly a "sixth sense," or that oh-so-creepy feeling that you get when something seems off.  But this... This didn't seem like that.  Dipper rubbed the back of his neck, the creepy feeling like stones at the bottom of his stomach, weighing heavy on him.  It put him on edge, but for now he thought it might be a better idea to brush it aside, focus more on exploring and possibly finding some good books than on pondering why exactly his brain would be putting him on edge.  For all he knew, it was probably just his paranoia of being in a creepy area like this.  The atmosphere itself was ominous enough.  The lack of people added to that and then the fact that there were different assorted things that guaranteed a chilled reaction made for a lot of paranoia.  "Weird..."  He hummed low, tilting his head slightly and shifting a little closer to the old wooden shelves.  

      Pegging the odd feeling for just that, paranoia, Dipper made toward the bookcases quickly, ignoring the black magic section like it was the plague.  Yet another thing he didn't want to get into, Dipper just was not going to deal with that any more than he had to if he could help it.   _Especially_ if he could help it.  If there was any amount of discomfort that the brunet could avoid, he certainly would in a heartbeat.  Dipper idly let his eyes trace the spines of the books as he approached the far wall, covered head to toe with books of all kinds-- black magic, religion, horror, suspense.  It didn't seem like it had too many books, but what it lacked in abundance it made up for in variety and oddities.  Dipper wasn't sure if he would actually be getting any of the books, but he was more than happy to browse the collection as much as he could before he was forced to leave. Before long, Dipper was happily shifting through the literature, carefully looking over the covers and reading through the little summaries they had at the beginning and end of the book.  Dipper had a few books in his arms by the time he was nearly done looking over the safer side of the wall.  More than half of the books had something to do with magic-- voodoo, Native American spells, anything from arcane magic to elemental to even things of the Wiccan variety.  The other parts had interesting bits of information about myths, legends, even cryptids.  Dipper was positive he saw a Necronomicon somewhere in there.  Some of the books were about science, but he focused more on the ones that spoke of monsters more than anything else.  

      Dipper had always held some interest in things that were of supernatural origins.  He remembered at one point wanting to have his own cryptid hunting show before he grew up a little more and realized that things like Bigfoot and the Chupacabra weren't real.  "Haha.  That one actually looks kinda cute."  He couldn't help murmuring under his breath, eyes carefully examining a fluffy little creature with dark fur and wide pink eyes.  It looked more like a black cotton ball than really anything else.  A small smile formed on Dipper's face and began to read over what the text below it said, curiosity shining in his eyes. 

      The Pines was so enamored in the words, he barely noticed an arm sliding over his shoulders and blond hair peaking into his vision, the smell of a strong cologne invading his senses.  "Not really.  Jiān jiào are like the worst things out there, kid.  They scream so loud they can make your heart explode.  Kinda cute at first then they open their mouths.  Hear 'em go 'aaah' and kablam, looks like you lost your blood pumper.  Talk about so cute your heart stops.  Kinda like a banshee."  Said a voice just beside Dipper's ear, one that followed his words with a full blown laugh, breath brushing against Dipper's skin.  The brunet immediately tensed and let out something between a shout and a squeak. (If he was being honest, it was actually something more like a screech.) He stumbled forward, flailing and dropping the books that were in his arms.  The hardbacks fell to the ground in a loud tumble that came with the sound of fluttering paper.  He nearly rammed head first into the book case and he would have too had he not twisted around and stared wide eyed at the person who had taken to invading his personal space and scaring him so much he was almost sure he nearly broke something.  He panted softly, heart pounding in his chest and fear curling in his stomach.  Brown eyes met an odd golden and Dipper tensed that much further as he noticed the wide, amused grin on the man's face.  

      "Yeah, kinda like that.  Nice impression."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Look what I finally got out. '-_- I'm hella sorry everyone, it's just been a little busy for me, but recently summer has started, so I should be able to get to writing a little more. Hopefully anyway. If I don't, just full on punch me through the computer, alright? I would be all for that. Yell at me in the comments or something, I dunno. :3 
> 
> If you have any questions or anything, leave them down in the comments please! I'll get back to you as soon as I can. :D
> 
> Now, I should let you know that I don't own Gravity Falls, or the Necronomicon, or any other things in the chapter that you may have seen me make references to. The only thing I own is the storyline I created for this fanfiction and blah blah blah. 
> 
> If you can't read what I put all the way up there in fonts and stuff, it should say:  
> shook to shake to ran to run  
> don't even attempt to look for anyone  
> run to ran to shake to shook  
> he never gave but always took  
> ran to shook to run to shake  
> catch on with every grin he makes  
> shake to run to shook to ran  
> if all else fails, don't trust that man
> 
> Also, the fonts I used were:  
> 1) Beyond Wonderland
> 
> 2) Scriptina
> 
> 3) Eutemia I
> 
> 4) Vtks Relaxing Blaze
> 
> 5) a Theme for murder
> 
> 6) James Fajardo
> 
> I did not create nor do I own any of them. (I am not quite that talented. :D)
> 
> Thank you for reading! You're amazing.


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